This invention relates to a wheelchair system for use with conventional passenger vehicles and more particularly to a wheelchair frame for adjustably supporting a seat thereon.
When disabled persons requiring the use of a wheelchair desire transportation in a vehicle it is often awkward and difficult without the use of an expensive system adapted for large traditional sized vans or without significant modification to smaller vans due to the arrangement of conventional wheelchairs.
A known reference point when discussing mobility aids such as wheelchairs is the Point-P. The Point-P is defined as the centre of a circle being 100 millimetres in diameter lying in the plane of symmetry of the wheelchair, that is in side elevation tangent to both the backrest and upper surface of the wheelchair seat with any padding depressed as if it were occupied and the wheelchair backrest pulled taut.
Conventional wheelchairs have a Point-P which is approximately twenty two inches above the ground. This is much higher than the equivalent Point-P found on conventional seats of most passenger vehicles. The result is a raised seating position for a person in a wheelchair in a vehicle relative to the other occupants of the vehicle. The problem which results is a significant lack of headroom for the person in the wheelchair relative to the other occupants.
The known systems for transporting disabled persons in wheelchairs thus generally require a large vehicle for creating enough headroom that the person in the wheelchair can sit upright when rolled into the vehicle. In the case of smaller vans and mini-vans a modified roof or floor structure is generally required for creating the desired headroom. Such wheelchair systems are quite expensive.
In order for a disabled person to sit in a conventional vehicle without the use of an in vehicle wheelchair system, the person requires being assisted by someone capable of lifting the person from their wheelchair and awkwardly placing them in one of the existing seats of the vehicle. The wheelchair must then be collapsed and stored separately in the trunk or elsewhere in the vehicle. The process of transferring to the vehicle seat and the storing of the wheelchair requires significant strength on the part of the disabled person as well as the person assisting them. The task of transporting a person requiring the use of a wheelchair is thus made quite difficult without the use of a wheelchair system designed for the task.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a wheelchair system for use with a mini-van having a plurality of passenger seats each with a Point-P seating reference point and floor anchors in a floor of the mini-van for securing at least one of the passenger seats on the floor of the mini-van, the wheelchair system comprising:
a wheelchair having:
a frame arranged to mount a seat thereon such that a Point-P seating reference point of the seat is substantially in a common plane with the Point-P of the passenger seats when the frame is positioned on the floor of the mini-van in a transport position; and
a set of wheels supporting the frame for rolling movement along the ground;
a docking system for securing the wheelchair to the floor anchors in the transport position; and
a portable ramp system for rolling the wheelchair in and out of the mini-van.
The wheelchair system of the present invention provides a wheelchair which allows a disabled person to sit upright while having enough headroom in a mini-van with no structural modification to the mini-van being required. The wheelchair has a Point-P which is positioned close to the ground by positioning the seat of the wheelchair such that it is inclined downward toward the rear of the seat, similarly to passenger seats in conventional passenger vehicles.
The frame may be adjustable such that the seat is movable from the transport position to an alternative seating position wherein the seat is spaced vertically from the transport position.
The seat preferably extends at a downward incline from a front end to a rear end of the seat in the transport position. The seating position of a person in the seat thus resembles the seating position of other occupants in the vehicle, while providing sufficient headroom to the person in the wheelchair.
The frame may be arranged to mount one of the passenger seats thereon while the docking system may comprise a docking plate arranged to mount on the existing floor anchors of the mini-van, the docking plate being arranged to engage the frame in the transport position for securing the frame thereon. The docking plate may further include adjustable mounting means for mounting on various floor anchor configurations. In this arrangement, the wheelchair system makes use of an existing seat of the vehicle for improved appearance and for minimal installation cost of the system by using as many existing parts of the vehicle as possible.
The docking plate may include a plurality of lugs mounted thereon while the frame may include a plurality of channels mounted thereon in respective alignment with the lugs on the docking plate in the transport position, the channels being arranged to secure the lugs therein.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a wheelchair system for use with a vehicle having a plurality of occupant seats supported by respective seat frames on respective existing floor anchors on a floor of the vehicle, the wheelchair system comprising:
a wheelchair frame arranged to support one of the occupant seats of the vehicle thereon;
a set of wheels supporting the wheelchair frame for rolling movement along the ground;
a docking system for securing the wheelchair frame to the floor of the vehicle in a transport position; and
a portable ramp system for rolling the wheelchair frame with an occupant seat supported thereon in and out of the vehicle.
In this arrangement, the wheelchair system makes use of an existing seat of the vehicle for improved appearance of the wheelchair and for minimal installation cost of the system by using as many existing parts of the vehicle as possible.
The docking system preferably comprises a docking plate arranged to mount on the existing floor anchors of the vehicle, the docking plate being arranged to engage the frame in the transport position for securing the frame thereon.
The wheelchair frame may include adjustable mounting means for mounting various seat configurations thereon.
It is preferred that a handle frame be mounted adjacent the rear end of the seat for supporting a pair of handles thereon.
The handles may be slidably mounted on the handle frame for adjusting a relative height of the handles in relation to the seat.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a wheelchair for supporting a person thereon, the wheelchair comprising:
a seat having a front and rear end, the seat being arranged to support the person thereon;
a docking plate frame supported for rolling movement along the ground;
a lift frame pivotally mounted on the docking plate frame, the lift frame pivotally mounting the seat thereon;
a forward actuator associated with the front end of the seat for controlling a height of the front end of the seat in relation to the docking plate frame; and
a rearward actuator associated with the rear end of the seat for controlling a height of the rear end of the seat in relation to the docking plate frame, the forward and rearward actuators being operative independently of one another.
The arrangement of the lift frame permits the seat to be positioned at be various heights and inclinations as desired for the comfort of the person supported in the seat. These positions may include a lowered seating position for headroom in a vehicle and a raised position for ease of standing up from the seat or for sitting at an appropriate height at a table for instance.
The seat is preferably movable between an inclined seating position in which the seat extends at a downward incline from the front end to the rear end thereof, a raised seating position in which the seat is raised in relation to the inclined seating position and a standing assistance position in which the seat extends at a downward incline from the rear end to the front end thereof.
When using the wheelchair for vehicular transport, the lift frame is preferably pivotally mounted on a front end of the docking plate frame with the seat being pivotally mounted on the lift frame at the rear end of the seat. A docking lock can thus be mounted on a rear end of the lift frame for securement to a floor of the vehicle in a transport position wherein the docking lock insures that the seat is adequately secured to the floor regardless of the condition of the actuators.
One of the actuators is preferably coupled between the docking plate frame and the lift frame with the other actuator being coupled between the lift frame and the seat.
The actuators may comprise air spring cylinders. When using air spring cylinders, a pair of cable operated mechanisms may be mounted adjacent the rear end of the seat wherein the mechanisms are operatively associated with the actuators respectively for selectively locking the respective actuators independently of one another at various positions of the actuators.
The seat may comprise a seat frame arranged to mount a conventional vehicle seat thereon wherein there may be provided a docking system arranged to mount the docking plate to existing floor anchors in a floor of a conventional passenger vehicle.
It is preferred that there be provided a rear seat cushion pivotally mounted on the seat for movement between an upright position and a reclined position wherein the rear seat cushion extends substantially horizontally rearward from the seat.